First Down

by Paula Mabbel

  “So, as you can see, we will not need to unite with your clan.” Her father said, as he gestured towards Gregory.

  “Do you think that he alone is enough to secure your victory?” Alistair spat venomously.

  “My daughter believes it and so do I.” Her father said with a simple, almost smug smile on his face.

  “I’m giving you one last chance to reconsider.” Alistair warned and his eyes flashed with anger. “Your clan needs us. Your daughter needs me if she is ever going to lead your clan. Do you think they follow her without a husband? Do you think that I won’t be the first attacker on her doorstep ready to slit her throat? This is your last chance, what will it be?” He finished.

  “I think I’m going to stick with my choice.” Abi’s father said cheerfully, but he had stern eyes that burned fiercely with warning. “My daughter would be better of marrying a blacksmith than the likes of you.” He added, before he shooed Alistair back out of the tent.

  “I’m sorry that you had to hear that.” Abi’s father said when he was sure that Alistair was gone.

  “Thank you for putting your faith in my father.” Abi said quickly and she walked over to him and threw her arms around his neck.

  “You have no reason to thank me.” Her dad said with a simple shake of his head. “You are my daughter and I have ever faith in you always.”

  “We’re going to win this.” Abi whispered into her dad’s ear and then she dropped her arms to her side and stepped back away from him.

  “I have no doubts.” Her father said as his eyes glanced back over to Gregory, who was standing silent and watching the scene play out in front of him.

  ******

  The night before the great battle had come and you could taste the nerves in the air. All of the clan had gathered around the fire to share in their last meal, before the dawn came, but it was strangely quiet as they all sat and ate. Abi knew what must be on their minds. She knew that in each of their head’s they were probably sitting at home with their families surrounding them. She carried the heavy weight of guilt around with her because she had her father close by and apathy for those who were missing home.

  She had spent the last few days in the company of Gregory. He had offered to train her with a sword and she had gratefully accepted his offer. She had always been able to hold her own in a sword fight, which was why her father had never had any doubt that she would be able to protect his clan, but that didn’t mean that she would pass up on an opportunity to get better, or for that matter an opportunity to spend more with Gregory.

  They had grown close in their time together. Abi had found her thoughts wandering to him whenever they were free of worry. She could feel the smile that tugged at her lips whenever she glanced over and caught him looking at her. She could feel herself falling in love with him and she knew that if she was ever going to tell him then it had to be that night. It had to be before it was too late and she could never hear what he had to say back.

  She stood up as she realized that she had to do it, before she backed out. She walked over to him with unsteady nerves and an anxious smile. “Could we talk for a minute?” She asked quietly, so that the other men wouldn’t notice their conversation.

  “Of course.” Gregory said with curious eyes.

  “In private, I mean?” Abi said as she glanced at the men who were sitting to either side of him.

  “Sure.” Gregory nodded and he stood up.

  They both walked over to his tent and he pulled open the door, so that Abi could enter. She walked through the flap and into the well-lit tent. “Have you been comfortable?” She asked him, so that she could break the silence without jumping right into the deep end.

  “Aye.” Gregory said and he met her eyes with his own. “I’m sure ya didn’t ask me in here to inquire about my comfort, though.” He said with a warm smile.

  “You’re right.” Abi said with a small nod. She could hear her voice playing back in her own ears and it sounded braver than she really felt. “I wanted to tell you something.” She added.

  “So, are ya going to tell me?” Gregory asked as he laughed.

  “I suppose I should.” Abi said and then she waited for the words to come, but they didn’t and silence hung between them.

  “You don’t have to be afraid, you know. You can tell me anything and I won’t judge ya.” Gregory said in a reassuring voice.

  “I hope not.” Abi said a little distantly. “So, the thing is, we’ve spent all this time together.” She started. “And you know, I’ve got to know you.” She went on.

  “Aye, and I’ve got to know you.” Gregory said with a smile on his lips.

  “I think I’m in love with you.” Abi blurted out quickly because she just didn’t know how else to say it.

  “Is that so?” Gregory asked her and his eyes burned into hers.

  “Aye.” Abi said and she nodded her head nervously.

  Gregory didn’t say anything. He just walked up to Abi, so that their bodies were pressed against each other’s. He lifted his hand slowly up to her chin and brought her eyes up to meet his. She could feel the heat of his breath bounce off her cheek, as he brought his lips down to hers.

  His kiss collided with her mouth. She could feel every tiny movement of his lip, as they brushed over hers softly and then deeply. She kissed him back with everything she had. She could feel her heart beating hard against her chest, as his hands dropped down to her waist and felt their way around to the small of her back. He pulled her closer to him, so their bodies were pushing against each other’s.

  Abi could feel the heavy beat of Gregory’s heart, as he lowered his lips from hers and brought them down in a soft path of kisses down her throat and to her heaving chest. His lips didn’t stop, as he brushed them against her soft skin and sent shivers down her spine. She watched him, as he moved his hands slowly from the small of her back and down to the hem of her dress.

  She could feel the material dancing with his fingers, as his hands settled underneath the fabric and traced lines up her legs. She could feel herself heating up, as his hand stopped right at the top of her leg and she waited with baited breath for him to continue. She caught his eyes and saw the same passion burning in them that she was sure was in her own. She took pulled him up quickly and led him over to the small haystack that had been turned into a bed.

  She didn’t want his hands. She wanted him. She wanted all of him. She wanted to give him the one thing that she could never take back. She sat the edge of the bed and gestured for him to move forward. She let her fingers play with the waistline of his kilt and then she dipped her fingers below and enjoyed feeling his body tense up with pleasure.

  She opened her legs and dropped her hands. She let her eyes meet his and she told him without speaking what she wanted. She could tell from the way that his chest moved in jagged motions that he understood her message and she waited for him to give her everything she had ever wanted.

  ******

  Abi opened her eyes and shifted slightly. She could feel the heat from Gregory rolling off of him and onto her and she smiled. She tilted her head slightly, so that she could see his peaceful face and she thought back to the night before and the time they had spent together. She could still feel a sore aching between her legs, but she knew it had been worth it. She had known the moment that she had laid eyes on him that she had loved him completely, it had just taken her a little while to accept.

  “You should be sleeping.” Gregory’s tired voice said before his eyes opened.

  “I should be enjoying my moments with you, before you must leave for the battle.” Abi said sternly.

  “You will have many more when the day is over.” Gregory said to her with a reassuring voice.

  “I hope that will be true.” She said, but she couldn’t allow herself to believe it completely. She couldn’t tempt the fates to work against Gregory or her clan today. She needed to stay level headed and accept that whatever the outcome, it was meant to be.

  She
watched as Gregory sat up and stretched off the sleep from his body. Her eyes found themselves glued to his arms as he flexed his muscles and then brought them back down to his side. He pushed back the scratchy cover and pulled his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. “I have no doubt that the clan will be leaving soon.” He said as he looked up at the ceiling of the tent and noticed that the light was already starting to seep through it. “There is something I must ask you, before I leave though.” He said and then he walked over to Abi’s side of the bed and knelt down, so that they were at the same level. “I want you to know that this is a request.” He added nervously.

  “What is it?” Abi asked him with a look of concern in her eyes. He looked unnerved and that was filling her with a sense of dread about the up and coming battle.

  “You don’t need to worry.” Gregory said with a warm smile, as he read the expression on her face. “When I last went into battle I had nothing to fight for and I lost. Today I am going into battle and I will win because I want to come back to you. I want to come back to you no matter what, do you understand that?” He asked her with a serious face.

  Abi nodded. “Aye.” She said with a hushed voice because she wasn’t sure what was about to come out of his mouth.

  “Abi, I love you. I loved you from the moment that I awoke from my long sleep and felt your tears wetting my feet.” He said with a small chuckle. “I want you to be my wife. I want to marry you when I return from the battle today and I want our wedding to be the celebration that everybody remembers, not the bloodshed.” He said with a smile.

  Abi opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. She was shocked. She could barely believe the words that were coming out his mouth. He was too good for her. He could have any girl in the highlands and yet, he was asking her to be his wife. It didn’t make sense. She couldn’t make it make sense, even though she was trying to.

  “You don’t have to answer me now.” Gregory said, as he pushed himself up onto his feet. “I will be back tonight and then you can give me your answer.” He said with a smile. “Remember though, I’m not demanding this of you. I want you to only accept if it is right by your heart, even if that means it isn’t the best for your clan.” He said and then he walked out of the tent and left Abi to her thoughts.

  ******

  The day was long and full of nerves. Abi could hear the cries from the battlefield, even though she had been forced to wait behind at the camp. She had paced for what had felt like hours, as she tried to pass the time before her clan returned with the news from the battle. She could feel herself growing more and more frustrated with every clash of metal that she heard piercing the silence that otherwise hung.

  She knew what she wanted to tell Gregory. She had known from the moment he had walked out of the tent. She had thought about going after him, but he had told her to wait until the day had ended and she had forced herself to be patient. Her face ached with worry, as she looked up into the sky and noticed that dusk was finally starting to settle.

  The noises from the battlefield had died away some time ago and she wondered whether it was over. She wondered whether her clan was making their way back or whether the battle had truly been lost. She kept her eyes on the horizon and her heart started to speed, when she started to see moving figures over the horizon.

  She counted her men as they returned back to their settlement. She could feel her smile getting bigger, as she realized that not one member of her clan had been lost. She spotted Gregory, as he walked passed her tent and she rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She breathed deeply and took in the strong smell of sweat and blood that was pouring off him. She didn’t care though. “I want to marry you.” She said quickly, before he even had a chance to greet her. “I want to marry you.” She repeated and she could feel her face beaming.

  “I love you.” Gregory said, as he realized what she was saying. “You’re really going to be my wife?” He asked her with surprise in his eyes.

  “Aye.” Abi said and then she went to find her father to tell him the good news, so that they could start the celebrations at once.

  *****

  THE END

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  Sisters Of Faith

  “Keep your sleeves rolled up, or they’ll hang in the filling!” Miriam snapped at her sister. Hannah sighed and shoved her sleeves up onto her arms further, leaving a streak of flour on both of her arms.

  “The trick is to get it as firm as you can, but still moldable. The more you roll it out, the better it is going to be. More flour now! Don’t you listen?” Miriam gave a loud sigh of exasperation, and turned her attention to the stove.

  “This would be a lot easier if you would help me instead of yelling at me,” Hannah muttered under her breath.

  “What did you say!?”

  “Is this good enough now, sister dear?” Hannah used her sweetest voice, although she was feeling quite frustrated with her older sister at this point. The two girls had been in the kitchen all morning, and both were equally ready to be done with the baking.

  “I suppose it will have to do. Set it in the icehouse for an hour to chill it really well, then we are going to form it in the pie plate and add the filling. And remember to let out the chickens!” Miriam called after her sister, who was already out the door with the pie dough in her pail.

  Hannah was happy to be out of the stuffy kitchen. She didn’t mind helping her sister with the baking. It had been her older sister’s duty to do all of the baking and cooking since their mother had passed on a few years before, but lately Hannah had been trying to give her sister a hand when she could.

  Miriam had a knack for baking, but Hannah did not. In fact, Miriam had a knack for everything the Amish women were supposed to know. She could cook and bake, sew and clean, and she knew her way around a barn raising as though she had been born to help.

  Hannah, on the other hand, was clumsy. She was impatient with sewing, and she never had the patience to let something bake for long enough. She was a dreamer, and often let her mind wander as she did her chores, more often than not resulting in bread that was burned on the edges but still doughy in the middle.

  The two sisters bickered about most things. Miriam was doing her best to turn her sister into a smaller version of herself, and Hannah was doing all she could to make her father proud of her, but found it difficult with her wandering spirit.

  Their father, Evan Miller, wanted nothing more than to raise two of the finest young women in the whole county. He wanted his daughters to be proper Amish girls, with good spirits and excellent skills, and a well-rounded education.

  He wanted to raise girls who knew they were to be at home minding the house and the children, and girls who would have made their mama proud. Hannah thought of her mother often. She had passed away when Hannah was only 11 and her sister 14, but her memory was still dear to their hearts, and not a day went by without them talking about her.

  “Mama could have made a pie crust with her eyes closed,” Hannah said to the hen that was at her feet as she closed the dough in the icehouse. She wished that her mother were there to help her learn all of these things. At 17 she had a lot of things on her mind, and it didn’t help that her sister was always pushing her to do more, and to do better.

  It wasn’t that her sister wanted her to do well, it was that Miriam wanted Hannah to be just like her. To like the things that she liked, and to do the things as she would do them. To never give a thought to anything but pies and quilts and babies.

  If Miriam has her way, she’ll be married with two children by next Christmas! Hannah rolled her eye
s as she saw her sister through the window, busily washing the sink full of dishes.

  It wasn’t that Hannah didn’t want those things, too, it was just that she didn’t think she was going to get them. She wasn’t good at keeping house, and she wasn’t good at sewing. She wasn’t what the young Amish men were looking for in a wife.

  Suddenly, Hannah ducked behind the pile of wood that was by the door. She saw a car coming up the road, and she was pretty sure she knew who was driving it. It was uncommon to see cars in these parts, especially at this time of the day.

  They were pretty far into the Amish community, and all of the neighboring farms only had horses and buggies. Only someone who was living in the world outside the community would drive a car, especially a car that was as fancy as that.

  The world outside the community wasn’t a good place, from what Hannah had heard. People out there did all kinds of things that went against their Amish beliefs, and they were happy to do it.

  Part of Hannah thought that the outside world sounded interesting, and even exciting in some ways. To be able to go from place to place without a horse, or to be able to talk to someone through a device that you held in your hand when they were all the way across the country… it all sounded so fascinating.

  But her father had warned her of all of the bad things that were out in the world: the corrupt behavior and the indecency, and things that he wouldn’t even speak of. He warned both of his daughters to stay away from the world and anyone who was taking part in it.

  Which included the boy who used to live on the farm next to theirs. He was a handsome young man, with sandy-colored hair and beautiful blue eyes. Both of the sisters thought that he was the most attractive human being they had ever seen.